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The Wallabies have got their Rugby World Cup off to a successful start against Fiji with a solid 28-13 victory.
While there was a bit of rust in the performance, there’s no doubt the Wallabies will be pleased to get off to a winning start.
That said, there’s probably plenty to work on for the men in gold. I thought I’d take a look at the big talking points out of the Wallabies’ first match of the 2015 rugby showpiece
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Impact off the bench
Frankly, where was it?
In the post-match interviews, Michael Cheika said that the Australian team would be flipped for the second game against Uruguay on Sunday.
That’s fair enough – it’s a sound strategy on a short turnaround.
However, there would be a concern that for today only, as it certainly hasn’t been the pattern in 2015, the bench took away more than they added.
Sure, you have two starting XVs, but all the players in a match-day 23 need to be ready to a do a job.
Rob Simmons went off and Australia lost three lineouts in a row. I’m not going to put that on Dean Mumm, as there were some very dodgy throws in that lot, but what went so wrong once the new players came on?
It’s in complete contrast to what we’ve seen so far in 2015, where the Wallabies’ bench has been the difference for them.
Could David Pocock be man of the tournament?
A two-try, fairly complete defensive and attacking performance from Pocock in the end proved the difference for the Wallabies. They won by 15, and if Fiji had less of a gap to cover in the second half you fancy they might have come closer.
Hanging off the back of a maul and diving over was not nearly the most impressive thing Pocock did for the Wallabies. He earned a turnover early. He put some massive hits on, and had a couple of impressive gallops.
You also can’t discount his organisation at maul time, nor his work at the back of the scrum.
Is he the best backrower in the world? Will he be man of the tournament? He was man of the match today.
Do the Aussies really not care about bonus points?
There was one common theme in every single post-match interview the Wallabies conducted: everyone denied the existence of bonus points in World Cups.
Michael Cheika said he had to check whether they were even a thing before the Cup kicked off.
Stephen Moore said no one had spoken about it. Rob Simmons said he didn’t know what a bonus point was.
That last one might not be true, but it’s certainly the impression you got listening to the Wallabies talk.
In a pool that will go down to the wire, I can see their point – you don’t want to be focussing on bonus points more than winning the game, but you should focus on winning well against an opponent like Fiji.
Pool A will be tightly contested. A glance at the Rugby World Cup ladder shows three good teams, and bonus points could be a difference maker.
Will Genia: Kick, run or pass?
Overall, I thought many of the Wallabies had strong games, Will Genia included.
For the most part, his service was good. His box kicking will come in handy against better opposition, so long as there’s a better chase from the Aussies, and his generalship is a step above Australia’s other options.
However, there’s a lurking feeling for me after that game that he could have looked to pass when he chose kick, or run where he chose to pass.
Some of the option taking wasn’t quite what we’ve come to associate with Will Genia at his best.
Australian scrum continues to impress
Aside from a Fijian penalty in the first half, which I think could have gone either way having watched the replay a few times, Australia were excellent in the scrum.
Those two early stalemates were great to watch – stable, powerful, well executed from both sides.
And I thought Australia got the better of a team that stood up to England at scrum time.
That’s a good sign for the Wallabies.
What were your talking points from the game, Roarers?
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.